App of the Week: Tank Hero

Over my Christmas break I had a great time. I got to be off school and hang out with all my friends, and with a break comes free time. Of course I had to find my next addicting game to play. Sure, I did a game last week, but it’s the holidays. This week I am going to be talking about Tank Hero.

I have been playing this game for some time while it has been in beta, and I have loved every second of it. At first it had some bugs, but the developers have been working hard to get out all the kinks and so far they have been successful. What started out as a quick 3 level tank game has evolved into a 3D action game with a lengthy 40 level campaign and survival mode.

First I have to touch on the graphics. They will not blow your mind, nor will they disappoint you. This is a 3D game, and in the past I have had some trouble with games of this type. Lag and all kinds of bugs can torment this genre, but Tank Hero is one of the smoothest I have ever played. The game works how it should with no pop-in textures or lag-to-teleport issues. Overall it has really become a fun experience. I would also like you to note that I am playing this game on the Motorola Droid, which has a slower processor than most phones out today. If the OG Droid can do it, anything can (except maybe a Sony device. Android 1.6 all the way…).

Next I will talk about the game play. I have already explained that the game runs smoothly, but that doesn’t mean it is any fun. It is though; it is a lot of fun. There are 40 levels so far in Tank Hero. They get progressively harder, and there are 3 different medals that you can earn: bronze, silver, and gold. They are pretty tough on you, and any mistake you can make takes points off making the gold medal something to really be proud of. If one missile that you fire doesn’t hit you are already down to silver, and if you get hit obviously that is points off as well. Most of the time if you beat a level the first time you will get a bronze and have to go back for gold, and that is even if you beat the level. The first few are pretty easy but like I said the game gets progressively harder, so to get all gold medals you will have to invest some time in it. It is an addicting game with a great campaign, but there is also survival mode. In survival mode the game will send waves of endless enemies at you and you fight until the death. This game mode is just as addicting and just as difficult. Throughout the game the farther you get you can upgrade your tank. Things like armor upgrades and new weapons are all up for grabs, and when you obtain them it is quite satisfying. One of the things developers really got complaints about at the beginning was the controls. Luckily they have fixed this problem, and not by changing them, but by adding new ones and giving the previous ones more accuracy. There are four different control schemes mainly a d-pad and swipe gesture. All of the controls worked well for me except the left-handed ones but that is because I am right handed. After you customize everything to your liking you are ready for hours of fun.

Games haven’t really been a main focus of Android until just recently, and Tank Hero is a great step in the right direction. Sure it’s no Angry Birds, but it is a 3D game that is fun and runs well. I am sad to say that is my expectation but until I see more it will have to be. I would really love Android gaming to become as big as iOS gaming. I am sick of my little brother coming in and asking me if I have this awesome game that he is playing on his iPod Touch and me saying no, because the next question is “then how is Android better again?”. Of course it is and after I explain it to him and show him my Mario live wallpaper he agrees, but I still would like to play Super Mega Worm too. It’s not, nor should it be a deal breaker for anyone, because Android is quickly headed for better gaming. With hits like Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja all arriving on Android, there a bound to be more to come. Tank Hero is one of the stepping stones. It is a great Android game and it proves that great games can be developed for Android, not to us, but to developers that have not yet made the jump, and I am glad for that. Tank Hero is awesome and that is why I have chosen it to be this week’s App of the Week.

—————————————-about the writer: Elijah Ketchum is a 16 year old sophomore in High School in Cincinnati OH. His Android experience started with the Motorola Droid. He enjoys everything about Android and convincing his iPhone fan boy classmates to switch. He recently convinced his father, a long term Blackberry user to switch to a Motorola Droid X. Like Elijah’s writing? Have advice? email [email protected]

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